Iowa Politics & News
The Daily Signal covers Iowa politics, caucus developments, rural policy priorities, and the Hawkeye State’s outsized influence on national elections and conservative movement leadership.
-
news
What Iowa Voters Have to Say About 2024 Election
DES MOINES, IOWA—The United States could collapse if it can’t control the border, says Jay Hayward, 68, of Grinnell, Iowa. “Illegal immigration, this is serious,” Hayward told The Daily Signal on Saturday while standing in line to attend a Donald Trump rally in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “This is a great nation. If it doesn’t turn… -
news
‘Outrageous Attempt at Disenfranchising’: 6 Takeaways From Trump’s Iowa Rally
FORT DODGE, IOWA – Near sprawling miles of farmland and even a few wind farms, former President Donald Trump delivered a fiery speech Saturday about China, election integrity and a big recent court victory. Ahead of the rally, Fort Dodge High School was adorned with Trump flags and signs. Ultimately, the fire marshal had to… -
opinion
‘Most Improved’: Iowa Governor Explains How Hawkeye State Won School Choice Revolution
“I truly believe that school choice will make the most consequential change for our education system in decades,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says. The Heritage Foundation feted the state of Iowa in Des Moines on Thursday for the state’s dramatic rise on Heritage’s Education Freedom Report Card after a flurry of reforms. In January, Reynolds,… -
news
Daily Signal Partners With Leading Iowa Pro-Family Group to Livestream Thanksgiving Forum With Presidential Candidates
The Daily Signal is partnering with a leading pro-family group in Iowa to livestream a Republican presidential candidate forum on Friday. "Nowhere else do you get to see the candidates gathered around a Thanksgiving table talking about their hearts, their worldviews, and the issues that go beyond the news headlines, and nowhere else will you… -
opinion
Iowa Leads Way on Education Freedom
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, families bear the twin burdens of inflation and indoctrination. Parents continue to witness their children being taught divisive, radical ideologies that portray their country as intrinsically racist, place social justice above fundamental subjects such as reading and math, and even divide children by race. All this while academic proficiency drops off a cliff…. -
news
Iowa Gov Rebuts ‘Book Ban’ Claim: ‘Nasty, Pornographic’ Materials ‘Should Never, Ever Be in a Classroom’
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is pushing back against claims from some in the media that an education bill she signed into law back in late May involved banning books. Senate File 496 prohibited books with written and visual depictions of sex acts from school libraries. “If you’re a parent, and you think it’s important …… -
opinion
California Is Trying to Use Its ‘Market Power to Change How We Farm,’ Iowa AG Says
Iowa is calling on Congress to prevent California from overregulating the agricultural sector. "California [is] trying to use their market power to change how we farm [and] I think that violates the Constitution," Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says. California's Proposition 12 regulations, implemented in 2022, "require veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens to… -
opinion
Iowa State Fair Buzzes With Presidential Candidates as Voters Hope for Better Future, Sen. Joni Ernst Says
DES MOINES, Iowa—Loaded with attractions such as bacon pecan pie on a stick, dairy cows, a tractor pull, and presidential candidates, the Iowa State Fair truly offers something for everyone. Over a million visitors are expected this year for the annual fair, which runs Aug. 10-20, so it’s a magnet for presidential hopefuls ahead of… -
news
Iowa Governor Signs ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Banning Abortion After 6 Weeks
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a “heartbeat bill” into law on Friday, banning abortions after six weeks, when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. This makes Iowa the 13th state to have a heartbeat bill protecting the unborn. “Not only will I continue to fight against the inhumanity of abortion, but I will also remain… -
opinion
GOP Presidential Candidates Head to Iowa for Sen. Joni Ernst’s Annual Roast and Ride
It’s not every day there is an opportunity to ride a motorcycle alongside a U.S. senator, but on June 3, hundreds of Americans will do just that. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is hosting her annual Roast and Ride Saturday. Motorcyclists are invited to join Ernst in a ride to the Iowa State Fairgrounds to enjoy… -
opinion
Iowa Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be at Mercy of Woke Investment Managers
Iowans have an opportunity to make asset managers decide whether they will operate to further the financial interests of Iowa residents or weaponize their duties to further a political agenda. Proposed state legislation known as Senate File 507 would protect free enterprise and Iowa’s taxpayers by codifying two commonsense principles: Taxpayer dollars—specifically public pension funds—should… -
opinion
‘Canceling Student Loan Debt Is Not Legal,’ Iowa Attorney General Says After Supreme Court Arguments
Iowa is one of six states suing the Biden administration over the president’s plan to forgive billions in student loan debt. “Canceling student loan debt is not legal,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says. “In order for that to happen, something would have to pass the House, the Senate, [and] be signed by the president…. -
opinion
Iowa Marks National School Choice Week by Enacting Students First Act
Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 is National School Choice Week, and what better way to highlight the fact that parents today have more choices for their children’s education than ever before than by celebrating Iowa’s Students First Act being signed into law on Tuesday? The year 2011 was deemed “the year of school choice” after… -
opinion
Iowa and Utah Lead States on School Choice Progress in the New Year
As America celebrates National School Choice Week, two states—Iowa and Utah—have made the first moves this year to empower families with a greater say in how their children are educated. Additionally, the evidence from states with robust school choice policies is debunking opponents’ charges that choice harms rural students and homeschoolers. Last week, the education… -
opinion
Iowa Governor Leads on Ambitious School Choice Initiative
Iowa came very close to enacting an expansive education choice policy last year. This year, after supporting school choice advocates who successfully primaried incumbents from her own party opposed to reform, Gov. Kimberly Reynolds is determined to see her ambitious education agenda over the finish line. Her proposal is a package of reforms that includes… -
news
Iowa School District Allows Students to Spend Overnight Trips With Whichever Gender They Identify With
An Iowa school district policy allows students to spend overnight trips with the students who share their “gender identity.” The discrimination policy at Linn-Mar Community School District in Linn County, Iowa, gives students a Gender Support Plan, which makes “appropriate arrangements” for students in seventh grade or older wishing to change their gender identity at… -
news
8 Things to Know About Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Who Will Give GOP Response to Biden’s State of Union Address
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican response Tuesday night to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Reynolds has promised to deliver an alternative to what she regards as Biden’s “absent leadership” and far-left agenda. But who is Reynolds, and why was she chosen for the rebuttal speech? Here are eight things… -
news
‘Easy to Vote, but Hard to Cheat’: Iowa Passes Major Election Legislation
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed significant election reform legislation on Monday. The new law decreases Iowa’s early voting period and closes polls an hour earlier on Election Day. State Sen. Roby Smith, a Republican, says the new law “enhances Iowans’ confidence in the elections in this state by implementing common sense reforms like providing a… -
opinion
Why Iowa’s Joni Ernst Is Supporting Kavanaugh
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, visited The Heritage Foundation to talk about Thursday’s release of the 2019 Index of U.S. Military Strength. Prior to her speech, Ernst spoke to Daily Signal Editor-in-Chief Rob Bluey about the military, Syria, trade, and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Bluey: The U.S. Index of Military Strength is an assessment of how our… -
news
What These 6 University of Iowa Students Say About Mollie Tibbetts’ Death
IOWA CITY, IOWA—For students who attend the University of Iowa, the beginning of the school year brought the tragic news of their classmate Mollie Tibbetts’ death. Tibbetts’ body was found Tuesday in a corn field in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Tibbetts, a 20-year-old psychology major who would have begun her junior year this fall, was last…